US Senate adopts amendment on more sanctions against Russian Federation

Author: Annette Adams Jun 20, 2017,

Jun 20, 2017, 0:47

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The Senate on Thursday voted 98-2 for new sanctions on Iran and Russian Federation, including new powers for Congress to block President Donald Trump from rolling back any penalties against Vladimir Putin's government.

The bill also includes new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile programme and other activities not related to the global nuclear agreement reached with the USA and other world powers.

The amendment - which passed 97-2 - creates new sanctions in several categories, including those "conducting malicious cyber activity on behalf of the Russian government," people doing business with Russian intelligence and defense agencies, and those "supplying weapons to the Assad regime" in Syria or engaged in corruption or human rights abuses.

The US Congress has been empowered to block any efforts by President Donald Trump to scale back sanctions against Russian Federation.

However, with the bill heading to the House, it appears that the White House is now working with House Republicans to weaken the legislation and restore President Donald Trump's power over the sanctions.

"This bill will impose sanctions on Iran for its non-nuclear violations", Cardin said. Brown also said the veto-proof vote on the sanctions package should send a strong signal to the White House.

The other senator voting no, Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky, told The Washington Examiner that he doesn't favor any new measures against Iran or Russian Federation.

A senior administration official said the White House is unhappy with measures in the Senate bill created to limit Trump's ability to ease the sanctions without congressional approval.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told CNN that "we moved to make the Congress, not the President, the final arbiter of sanctions relief when necessary".

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly for an amendment limiting the Trump administration's ability to unilaterally ease sanctions on Russian Federation. "I think this is harmful", Putin said, according to RIA.

Mueller is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Regardless, GOP senators believe Trump would sign it, with Sen. "But look, this bill is going to become law", Corker told reporters on Wednesday. Tillerson had asked for some time to try and change the direction of U.S. -Russia relations before Congress levied new sanctions on the Kremlin. Broad new sanctions would be imposed on Russia's mining, metals, shipping and railways sectors.